As one of our most dedicated volunteers said, “Volunteering at an animal shelter isn’t like picking up litter, or participating in a bike ride. Those are very worthwhile events, and we are lucky that people are there to do those things…but with animals, once you look into their eyes, you’re done. You’re hooked. There’s no going back.”

Anyone who has spent any time at an animal shelter knows what she means. Animal shelter volunteers are an amazing group of people. Talk about being invested in your volunteer work – once you look into the eyes of a cat who is stray, feral, ill, injured, needs a home, needs YOUR HELP, you’re all in. Black cats are no exception,

I volunteer at the Chico Cat Coalition, a non-profit, no-kill cat shelter in the northern California town of…

UPDATE 4/9/12: GREAT NEWS! The Madera stray dog, now known as Rachel, is away from the busy traffic and is now SAFE!

According to Patricia, the wonderful woman who looked after this stray dog and worked so diligently to gain her trust, all her hard work paid off on Easter Sunday:

“We waited for her to sleep and walked up on her quietly and she raised her head right into a slip leash and she really did not even struggle just kind of rolled under the vehicle she was next to and started shaking, I was on the ground stomach down petting her with everyone shopping around me.

She never tried to bite or even growled at us not once, just very scared which tells me even more I think she is young, she has big feet and i think she is going to fill out beautifully.“

While this is great news about Rachel, this lovely shy pup still needs a good home. Patricia says:

“Rachel is in a kennel and has food and water and her own dog house as well as shade and safety while at Walmart she had none of those things, her bowls kept getting stolen and the poor girl could not rest in peace as traffic at this store is always a constant, she now has a nice quiet well kept yard and even if temporary she is better now than she has been in way to long.

We must now work on finding this amazing dog an amazing forever home. I would be lost without the help from wonderful people like yourselves and I am asking with all my heart for your help with everything else you do and all the others you help, please make room for this dog. She had it bad and as bad as she had it did not try to lash out at myself or my husband or Vendetta not once, look at her face and those eyes, she is tired and is probably wondering what next with everything she has endured. I love her and want what is best for her and all of them. I just pray we find her a home that deserves her”.

One look in this sad girl’s eyes says it all.She needs a forever home. Rachel was dumped in the Walmart parking lot, and it seems that both her heart and spirit have been broken. Please help get the word out to help Rachel find her forever home. She is a beautiful, sweet dog, who, after what she’s been through, deserves to be loved and pampered.

Patricia would like to thank Vendetta of Nut’s N Bolts Animal Advocates for all the help she gave, when other rescues ignored her plea for help.

Note: Patricia will be setting up a chip-in to help with Rachel’s vetting costs. We will update this blog with chip-in information once it is set up as well as continue to follow Rachel’s story.

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Original story: Urgent rescue is needed for a young stray dog, possibly a German Shepherd/border collie mix, seen living in an area near a four-lane road with a busy intersection. He* may have been dumped in the parking lot; it seems as if the poor dog is waiting for his owner to return.

For the past few weeks, a concerned animal lover has been going out of her way to track his movements and has been leaving him food and water. However, the woman has not been able to get close enough to this shy dog, which is why she is reaching out for help.

Doesn’t this make you wonder about the countless number of people who must have seen – and ignored – this pup as they made their way into the Home Depot and surrounding businesses? Thank goodness for the one woman who cared enough about this young, nameless stray. When she couldn’t catch him, she did not ignore him, but instead is trying desperately to get him help.

So PLEASE, friends, help get the word out, especially if you know of someone in Madera, CA. This dog has been treated as if he is invisible for long enough! His life is in danger every day as he moves around in this high-traffic area. Also, if he gets picked up by animal control, he will likely end up in a kill shelter. This is why he so desperately needs a rescue to step in and save him.

The dog is medium-sized, skinny, and primarily black with some brown coloring to him.

Here are the locations where the dog is primarily seen: in the parking lot on the side of the Madera Home Depot (2155 N. Schnoor) between the garden department and Starbucks. He has also been seen near the Cazadores restaurant (see photo) located at 1663 N. Schnoor St., suite 101 and at nearby Lowes. It is frightening to think that in order to get from the Home Depot to the restaurant and back, the dog must have crossed four lanes of traffic!

If there are any updates on the dog (such as sightings), or if anyone can help, please leave a comment on this blog or contact Hand4Paws.

Good luck, little dog. And please stay safe until help arrives!

(*It is not known if the dog is male or female, although for writing purposes the dog is referred to as a male)